information. that's craziness. >> expect casey to take the stand, or no? >> that's the $64,000 question. i don't think they can. that's why they questioned her competency over the weekend. "cnn newsroom" with randi kaye starts now. >> too much debt and not enough money. a country in revolt and risking default. an agonizing choice. sounds too familiar but these sights and sounds are from greece. riot, police, and thick clouds of tear-gas are keeping protesters away from athens. their fellow euro states would

like l likely stop bailing them out, and that could send shock waves all over this map and beyond. take a look here. all of these countries share the euro. which means all pay the price, when one, even a small one like greece gets in trouble. today's vote clears the way for $17 billion in emergency loans from the imf and eu. the final installment of the billion-dollar package passed last year. cnn's richard quest is in the thick of the demonstrations in greece, and he will join us within the next hour. and then president obama held a full-on news conference at the white house today, and debt ceiling talks with ref cons topped his agenda. republicans refuse to consider

tax increases to go along with spending cuts that seem to be a condition for raising the nation's borrowing limit. the president says that's not a sustainable argument. >> any agreement to reduce the deficit will require tough decisions and balanced solutions. before we ask our seniors to pay more for health care and before we cut our children's education, before we sacrifice our commitment to the research and innovation that will help create more jobs in the economy, i think it's only fair to ask a corporate jet oerner or oil company that has done well to give up that tax break that no other business enjoys. >> mr. obama says nobody wants to see the united states default, and so he's confident the white house and republicans can bridge their differences. now, i want to get to new mexico, where there is an

out-of-control wildfire. the loss al moes lab is shut down for one more day. reynolds, how are things going there and what is happening at this hour? >> reporter: well, so far, so good. the fire is only 3% contained. we're talking about an aggressive fire, randi. one that has thrashed about 60,000 acres of pristine wilderness in three days. conditions are dry and the wind is picking up, and weather not cooperating whatsoever. there will be minimal rain conditions at best. perhaps in the middle of next week, we might see them exceed to 15%. one of the biggest threats we have is the fire and the location. we have cnn photo journalists, john, with us. if you can give the viewers a shot of the ridge that we see back in the distance.

you can barely see through the smoke. that's the ski area, and most of the vegetation gone from a fire a decade ago. from the ridge to the place where now stand, there is a huge area of virgin forests that have been untouched. they expect the strong winds that will carry the sparks and spread the fire to the forest, and if that happens, john, i will step back in for a moment, if that happens then the threat pushes the fire possibly into the canyons that separate the three or four areas that make up the community here of los alamos. although it certainly sounds like a bad thing, and we spoke with experts that said you never

want plutonium to burn. although the fire came within five miles of the spot, they say and insist it's a safe location. >> what about the town itself? we know the folks cleared out. what about the homes? have any been lost? >> reporter: wow, that's thankfully the good news. we have not had any terms of home loss in this area. that's the big fear, people that were forced to evacuate back on monday are terrified what they may find. and, again, it all depends on the weather. >> reynolds wolf there on the scene. thank you. this just in to cnn. judges for the sixth circuit court of appeals ruled the mandate that all individuals have health care under the new health care reform law is, quote, a valid exercise much

congress's authority under the commerce law. this is the first time a federal court ruled on the constitutional al tea of the the health formula. after months of protest, and back if and forth in the state legislature, among the changes, state and local government workers can bargain over base salary. like many states, wisconsin faces a large budget short fall. the new law is expected to makeup some of that, though it's unclear how much. and the education association says it expect a number of teachers to be laid off as soon as this week because of the new law. california lawmakers have passed a new $86 billion budget, but makes cuts but does not extend tax hikes.

the budget makes big cuts in education and health and human services among other things. it also relies on a projected $4 billion in tax revenue. if that does not materialize it could force more cuts and leave open the possibility of putting forth a public vote on tax increases next year. a emergency hearing to see if officials can forcibly administer drugs against his will. the government argued it was necessary, because loughner is, quote, dangerous to others. he is accused of shooting 19 people, including congresswoman

gabby giffords back in january. the anthony family back on the stand. more shocking details coming your way next. what's this option? that's new.

personal pricing now on brakes. tell us what you want to pay. we do our best to make that work. deal! my money. my choice. my meineke. time to get back to the economic crisis that morphed into something else. the air around you, richard, from the looks of the video that we're seeing and have been

seeing probably smells of tear-gas, right? >> absolutely, randi. the shot you're looking at. it's the center of the square. what just happened, quite interesting and remarkable, there was a massive charge by the riot police. they put an enormous amount of tear-gas with stun grenades into the square, and literally cleared out the square. but it's not clear to me what their game is here, or what their policy was, because they seemed to have then retreated. i have to say, while i have just been talking to you, the wind has changed and that tear-gas is going right into my face, so we'll leave you on the picture of the square at the moment while i answer any questions you may have. >> just remind us what is at stake here. i am curious about the reaction to the fact that this has passed

now, this package has passed. >> i don't think that there was any doubt that the package would pass eventually. the anger that there was from the real protesters, those are on a matter of principle. they will go to the next level of the fight. they will take it a bit further and go through the parliamentary process of the next days or two as the laws are impacted and implemented. as for the hoodls on the street, they will continue to battle on until finally there is not anymore tear-gas to throw and they get a defeated. the battle for the austerity measures is over. the government got a bigger majority than we thought, and for greece's point of view, it

has to be implemented. >> we talked about the austerity measures themselves, but because we have you there, and i know it's painful for you and i see you off camera wiping your eyes from all of the tear-gas, but i am curious what the scene is like on the street after they dispersed the people? is it organized and are the people returning? >> reporter: the best way to show you what is happening on the street, i will get out of the way, and i will instruct my cameraman to show you. we start in the far corner of the square. that is where they have been assembling and keep come into the square. does make you wonder why they have not stopped anybody else to come into the square. move down to the middle of the square, and you see this is where the indignants are. these are the protesters on the part of policy. they feel the astairy measures are unfair, and it's the wicked

bankers that should be given more time and ultimately it will be bad for the greek economy. and then you come to this part of the square where you have the black shirts. these are frankly the guys that need no reason but take every opportunity to start a fight. they are moving back forward again. if i just move into the picture, i can point out in the direction they are going. they are moving towards the finance ministry just over there. what will happen, i am pretty much guaranteed in the next five minutes or so down the side streets, the riot police will come full throttle, stun gun grenades into the middle of the square, and tear-gas will pillow across the center, and the process starts over again. >> does it seem there is a clear

leader to the protesters, or just a group of all kinds of folks coming together to take advantage of this opportunity? >> reporter: i think the latter. i am sure there is some informal leadership going on down there, but it doesn't -- there is a lot of them. we're not talking about ten. there are several hundred people, whether it's communist, who knows what they support, but they are determined to wreck and ruin large parts of the square. what i have seen at various points, randi, is the peaceful protesters coming up and trying to tell them not to do it, and then they get nowhere. these thugs are determined to have their fight. now, what are the police up to? i don't know. i am not a law enforcement expert, but their failure to get control of the square over many hours maybe some would say, this is their game plan contained in

a relatively small part of athens. the law has been passed as the fighting goes on. we're in for a long night. >> please do keep us posted. we'll be here on the air for the next couple of hours, so we'll check back in as it warrants. >> reporter: there you go. i promise you within moments, and sure enough i can hear the stun guns going off, and -- >> protect your eyes, and stay safe. we'll check back with you again. coming up, george anthony's suicide attempt and the defense confronts casey's mom about lee, her brother and the alleged sexual abuse. more from the casey anthony trial coming up.

the anthony family drama was on full display today at the casey anthony murder trial. both casey's mom and dad are back on the stand to answer some very blunt questions from the defense. can you imagine, there were emotionally charged moments in the courtroom today. let's bring in our criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, holly hughes. the defense going after george anthony, and questioning him about molesting his daughter, casey, and he said he would never harm her in that way. they were trying to prove it, though, and did they?

>> no. here is a tip for jose baez. never hand your enemy a club because he might use it to beat you over the head with it. yesterday we saw a defiant george who said i did not have an affair, and today we see a broken, heart wrenching emotional plea by a father, and a grandfather saying i wouldn't do that. >> you mention that, and we were watching this earlier and you can see george anthony on the verge of tears several times, but there were one moment when he broke down when he learned he had learned investigators had found caylee's body. let's listen to that. >> had you held out the hope that caylee would be found alive? >> absolutely. every day from july 15th, until the day we were told it was

caylee. >> in january of 2009, you went -- i'll give you a moment. >> he is broken, as you described there. what was so interesting was his daughter's reaction, casey's reaction sitting there. i am curious. as a defense attorney, would you worry in that case what jurors might think of your client and what they are thinking? >> absolutely. we already know casey does not react properly. her mother was on the stand falling apart because this little girl is missing, and she shows nothing. completely unaffected by this. and that's not normal. that's not the human emotion. when we see cindy and george having the very real, human drama breakdowns, that's what we want from the mother of this

precious little girl. we want the mother to be this upset that her baby went missing, whether she drowned, whether she was murdered, we want her to care, randi, and she doesn't. >> very quickly. they also brought up george anthony's suicide note. he said he wanted to be with caylee. why would the defense bring that up? >> because they are i trying to infer that he was getting about molesting his daughter and hiding the body and now casey is taking the fall for it. but it's going to backfire. jeff ashton is entering that suicide note into evidence as rebuttal. right now it's here say and the defense is not going to enter it, because it doesn't say what they want it to say. >> we'll check back with you in an hour from now.

all this week, we're taking a look at an important issue. online security. we look at how technology makes it difficult to avoid being tracked no matter what you do. oh, we call it the bundler. let's say you need me and auto insurance. you give us your information once, online... [ whirring and beeping ] [ ding! ] and we give you a discount on both. sort of like two in one. how did you guys think of that? it just came to us.

what? bundling and saving made easy. now, that's progressive. call or click today. when an investment lacks discipline, it's never this obvious. introducing investment discipline etfs from russell. visit russelletfs.com r a prospectus, containing the investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information. read and consider it carefully before investing. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

introducing purina one beyond a new food for your cat or dog. welcome back. every day each of us leaves behind what you might call digital footprints, pieces of information we may not realize are being collected and saved. what would it take for one day without leaving a trail? >> every day we use technology, we expose personal information,

digital footprints left behind sometimes lasting forever. information about our friends and families. what would it take to live life one day without a digital trace. i set out to find out with the help of a magazine writer. in 2009, he tried to disappear and leave no trace behind and dares his readers find him. >> people conducted their own investigations, and the deed to my apartment and those sorts of things they could find within a matter of hours. if i will leave behind no digital trace, i have to leave behind this, my smart phone. >> if you look at the history, the gee graphic history of the phone, it's basically the gee

graphic history of your life. >> even without a smart phone tracking my movement, i have to be careful online. even with simple things like online searches, since search engines keep records of everything i type in the box. >> if you don't want to do that, you have to go to bricks and mortar shops and do it that way. they are not selling you a product, they're selling your information. >> anytime you shop online, your information goes to a database. if you go and look at the privacy policies, they will tell you that they are able to sell the information to select marketers, and that's sort of the reality of online shopping. >> even when you are away from the computer, technology like that right there, it's a toll booth tran sponsor, it keeps

records of where i was and where i have been. >> all those tweets, the photos and status updates leave a trail that can be hard to erase. >> you have to realize that's information that you are putting out there that you can't pull back in. you cannot later get that information off of the web. >> despite our best efforts leaving no digital footprint may be impossible as evan learned when readers tracked him down by following an online trail that he tried his hardest to hide. we'll tell you about the controversial photograph that has some critics up in arms right after this.

it's about half past the hour. here's a look at the headlines and stories you may have missed. judges for the sixth circuit court of appeals ruled the mandate all individuals have insurance under law. this is the first time a court has ruled protesters are not happy with greek lawmakers' decisions to approve a package of austerity decisions today. they are not afraid to show their disapproval. you can see fires there burning in the streets. riot police are trying to keep the stone-throwing people away

from parliament. unions are angry about the tax hikes and job cuts. president obama held a news conference at the white house a short time ago using much of the time to cover the economy and deficit. he stressed the importance of creating jobs and used the u.s. trade deal with korea as one of the solutions. he admitted any agreement on the debt ceiling will include making tough decisions and he went so far to say congress should cancel vacations if they cannot make a deal. have you seen this? "newsweek" decided to dedicate their cover to the late princess diana's 50th birthday. they have drawn criticism for this picture. "newsweek" mocked up the photo in an effort to show what diana would have looked like today,

but some critics are calling the cover disrespectful. there are some things about texas you cannot ignore. why is it becoming so important to our economy and politics? we'll go to texas next. stamps.com is the best. i don't have to leave my desk and get up and go to the post office anymore.

it's not just big, it's the nation's second largest state economy. we're talking about texas. if you know anybody from texas, you know just how much they love the lone star state. in our defining mercier ease, ed gives us a glimpse into that

texas pride. >> reporter: texas pride is as subtle as getting smacked in the face with an iron skillet. >> if you are not from texas, that kind of swagger probably rubs you the wrong way. texas is the state the rest of the country loves to hate. >> i think most of the country thinks people in texas wears a hat and rides a pony everywhere. >> reporter: business is good here. >> the texas golf balls. texas swimsuit there. texas note cards. magnets, as you can see, tons and tons. >> reporter: he thinks this t-shirt says it all for those of you that think texas is not the center of the universe. whatever. >> many could be offended by the t-shirt, but it's the way we feel for sure. >> don't mess with texas.

>> reporter: these commercials have solidified the texas mystique for generations. >> we love texas. >> that's how we do it here. this is our motto, basically, everything is texas is bigger and better to us. >> reporter: the rest of the country might wonder what texans see in the oppressive summer heat. texans see perfection. >> i tell my kids, anything you want you will find it right here in texas. >> and ed is on the scene and joins us from san antonio. ed, that's a great story we just saw of yours. let's talk about the tour that you're on in texas. texas is emerging as a major economic powerhouse. how would you say texas is changing? >> well, you know, it's really changing in a lot of different ways, not only culturally, not

only where you see an influx of latinos, but in terms also of just the way -- the business community is growing, and you have seen a lot pushed by the governor of texas, and they have gone off and tried to sell to the rest of the country that texas weathered the economic storm by any other state in the country. they are pushing companies to realize that and move here and relocate to texas, which is driving many other states crazy as well. >> a whole lot of people have their eyes on two texans, when it comes to the 2012 presidential race, ron paul and governor, rick perry. is texas becoming an important factor as it comes to the race? >> reporter: i think a lot of people around texas are waiting to decide what rick perry is deciding. a lot of people waiting to hear about that. and you have ron paul who has

done well and become very popular in many ways and in parts of the republican party. they are watching that closely. the question is, and i think a lot of people in political circles around the country talked after eight years of george b. bush, is the country ready for somebody that talks with a lot of lovato. well, a couple was legally married and thought they would live happily ever after, but one is now being deported. that's next.

at liberty mutual, we know how much you count on your car and how much the people in your life count on you. that's why we offer accident forgiveness, man: good job. where your price won't increase due to your first accident. we also offer a hassle-free lifetime repair guarantee, where the repairs made on your car are guaranteed for life

or they're on us. these are just two of the valuable features you can expect from liberty mutual. plus, when you insure both your home and car with us, it could save you time and money. at liberty mutual, we help you move on with your life. so get the insurance responsible drivers like you deserve. looks really good. call us at... or visit your local liberty mutual office, where an agent can help you find the policy that's right for you. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

most of the time marrying a u.s. citizen puts you on the path to a green card, but not all marriages are created equal in the eyes of the federal government. a couple found out the hard way, and one is being deported because the same-sex marriage is not being recognized. >> nestled deep in the scenic hills of vermont, these two appear to be living the ideal life of a newly married couple. but time is running out on their happiness. >> so it's been like a ticking clock, yes. anticipation of grief.

>> even though she is legally the spouse of a u.s. citizen, she is being threatened to be deported back. >> this is my family. i have been with her for 11 years. >> they were married on april 26th. vermont is one of the few states where same-sex marriage is legal. with deportation looming, the couple got a lawyer. >> so explain to me, why if a couple is legally married, as these two are, it doesn't count for the federal government when it comes to immigration? >> she should be able to sponsor the person that she is married to and the person she loves for a green card, but because of the defensive marriage act bars the federal government from giving any federal benefits. that means there's no way that francis as an american can

sponsor her as her spouse. >> when she is due to be put out of the country? >> her visa runs out in october. >> some recent deportation cases have been suspended. conservatives like congressman james lan kford says that's not right. >> can't reach back and say we're not going to enforce that. that is the job of the united states. so it's a pretty frightening precedent. >> is refusing federal immigrants like immigration rights to same-sex married couples unconstitutional? eric holder says maybe. yet they have not stopped all deportations. >> if she had to leave?

>> it's still really hard for me to think of that, even though the whole past year every season was oh, god, this is the last season, oh, this is our last thanksgiving, and this is the last birthday. >> with time running out, she's packing for japan. >> it's a heart wrenching thing to do. >> it will feel really, really criminal. just because we're two women. that's all. another day of protests in greece. but the protests are falling on deaf ears. greek lawmakers approved a package of government cuts that should clear the way for an emergency loan to the country

and the day is the second day of a two-day national strike. these are live pictures coming from greece. ten people were killed in the attack on the enter c continental hotel. a news agency is reporting that a 48-year-old spanish pilot was among the dead. three attackers were shot before they were able to detonate their explosives. iran has been carrying out secret tests of missiles, missiles capable of delivering a nuclear payload. and that is in defiance of the up united nations's resolutions. and how an idea to change the world could be worth $100,000. don't go anywhere.

[ whirring and beeping ] [ ding! ] and we give you a discount on both. sort of like two in one. how did you guys think of that? it just came to us. what? bundling and saving made easy. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

♪

[ male announcer ] what is the future of fuel? the debate is over. ♪ lexus hybrid drive technology is designed to optimize any fuel source on the planet. even those we don't use yet. because when you pursue perfection, you don't just engineer a future-proof hybrid system. you engineer amazing. ♪ every day on this show we do a segment called the big i-. it's about big ideas and solution to problems. we're looking at $100,000

winners of phase two of the ecoimagine challenge. the challenge to business and intrapreneurs and innovators to improve things. this is a start up that created a money saving meter reader for your home on your computer. and then another man create add smart air-conditioning system. thank you for joining us. $100,000. lo luke, tell me about plot watt, and how it can reduce my bill and any bill of the people watching. >> the way we buy and use energy is broking. we're stopping at a grocery store without price tags or checkout counters. imagine getting a monthly bill for all of your groceries.

that would be a silly way to buy groceries, and it's a silly way to provide energy. we apply people with appliance level real-time feedback on how to reduce energy bills. we can do it with your smart meter data alone. so that means that we can provide the service for free, and on average our users are reducing their electricity bills by 20%. >> it can break down how much i would save if i turn down my air-conditioning one degree or turn off my lights an hour or so earlier? >> yeah, you got it. it can tell you how much money you would save tomorrow, and how that would kind of extrapolate over the year or whatever time you are interested in. >> i want to talk about your invention. tell us about your smart air-conditioning system and how

it works. >> yes. thank you very much for this opportunity. so our technology balanced home comfort with energy, and our technology has three parts. first is our innovative centuse. the second part is smart algorithms and then the third part is the battery operated smart part. it enables us to learn the living patterns within a house and then based on the learned patterns we can automatically condition the rooms that are occupied or likely to be occupied in the future. this enables us to condition only the rooms thereby improving comfort while saving 30% in energy use. >> so if i'm understanding this one correctly, just be patient with me here. it seems it gets to know us in

our house and our living patterns. say my cat walks into the room. is it going to accommodate what temperature my cat likes? >> well, that's a beautiful question. one of the innovation of our technology is that our sensors have the the ability to differentiate pets from human beings. this is very important to overcome the false triggers. another false trigger is that the existing technology is not able to overcome when somebody is sitting motionless in a room. we have to identify, hey, someone is sleeping in the room. we collect all the information and we say, all right, we know someone walks into the kitchen at 7:00 in the morning to make morning coffee. that's where we start conditioning the kitchen half an hour before someone walks in, so by the time the person walks in it's optimal comfort. that's what our system does. >> all right. they both sound like cool inventions. we congratulate you on winning this.

suminder and luke, appreciate your time. thanks for coming on the show. for more on the challenge winners check out my facebook page and don't forget to tune in tomorrow, same big i time, same big i channel. michele bachman claims the media is aiming for a cat fight with her an sarah palin. first, golf balls, lobsters and the sea. normally one would seem out of place. but we see how they come together in edge of discovery this week. >> reporter: the state of maine is home to some of the world's best lobster fishing. bringing in more than 90 million pounds a year. what's left behind is a lot of waste. >> there are some shells that go into compost. most go in a landfill. >> reporter: researchers in maine have a way to put it to use and it sounds like a hit.

you can't hear the difference, but this ball is made of recycled lobster shells. >> it's a dynamic, exciting combination. lobsters and golf. >> reporter: it started in the kitchen but was perfected in the university labs. >> we made a product out of it. had to look like a golf ball, perform like a real golf ball as much as possible. >> reporter: but it's bio biodegradab biodegradable. it's anywhere from 100 to 1,000 years for traditional ball games to break down in the ocean. >> reporter: this one breaks down in two weeks. it would be good for cruise ships. >> this now has value. >> reporter: the balls are being handmade in the lab but the university of maine is working to get them into mass production and into the water soon. ♪

♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] with amazing innovation, driven by relentless competition, wireless puts the world at your command. ♪ >> announcer: this past year alone there's been a 67% spike in companies embracing the cloud-- big clouds, small ones, public, private, even hybrid. your data and apps must move easily and securely to reach many clouds, not just one. that's why the network that connects, protects, and lets your data move fearlessly through the clouds means more than ever.

time now for a cnn political update. jim mecosta joins me. what's hot on the ticker now? >> get ready for charges of class war fare, randi. president obama held a press conference this morning at the white house. he talkeded about ways to handle

the deficit. he's insisting that raising taxes on the wealthy be part of the debt talks going on between the white house and leaders up on capitol hill. and he put it in stark terms. here's what the president had to say earlier. >> if you are a wealthy ceo or hedge fund manager in america right now, your taxes are lower than they have ever been. they're lower than they have been since the 1950s. and you can afford it. you'll still be able to ride on your corporate jet. you just have to pay a little more. >> so a line there about corporate jets from the president. meanwhile we should note that he chastised congress for taking too many vacations saying his daughters get their homework done on time better than congress does. sounds like the president is running against congress and not the republican field now. speaking of the republican

field, down in south carolina today, michele bachmann made an offhand comment to a voter down there that's raising eyebrows. she told a south carolina voter that what the media wants is a, quote, mud wrestling match between she and sarah palin, the former alaska governor who has not decided she's running for president. bachmann raising eyebrows as she does sometimes down in south carolina. speaking of the former alaska governor, sarah palin attended the movie premiere last night in iowa. the question is will she or won't she. as a result of all the speculation swirling around the movie that's essentially a pro palin documentary, palin says she's not made up her mind yet. it is a slight contradiction from what her daughter said who told another network in the last 24 hours or so that her mom has made up her mind and has not shared it with the rest of us. we wait for the answer. >> we're waiting and waiting.

>> and waiting and waiting. right. >> thank you, jim. it is 9:00 p.m. in greece where lawmakers today bought the debt-ridden nation more time and trouble. riot police and teargas kept protesters away from the parliament building in athens where a package of tax hikes and sell-offs of government assets narrowly passed. had it not, 16 other euro states would likely stop bailing greece out and the country would default on loan payments due in weeks sending shock waves all over this map and beyond. take a look. all the countries share the euro which means all pay the price when one, even a small one like greece gets into trouble. today's vote clears the way for $17 billion in emergency loans from the e.u. and the i.m.f. the final installment of the package approved year.

athens hopes for a second bailout in the new austerity measures. becky anderson is in the thick of things. becky, we heard last hour from richard quest that police have run the protesters out. are you seeing the same thing there? what's happening in the square below you now? >> reporter: as richard said last hour it's ebbing and flowing. you see protesters being corralled either into the square or down the side street. things become much calmer. all of the sudden, 20, 25 minutes later things get hectic. it's been a day of real drama here at constitution square in athens as the parliamentarians meet in the greek government building to my right. they have been voting on one of the most austere measures attempted since the second worl war. you see battles between police and protesters. it has to be said again there

are 200, 300 what would be described as anarchists creating trouble for the police. there are thousands of police in and around the square. they say they don't want the anarchists here. they are protesting what happens next to greece. they are so angry that greece has broken the rules, about so much hidden by the government in the past and now they face an austere four years going forward. it's no joke to say that what the greek parliamentarians were voting on today is not just the future of greece and greece within the euro. it really is the future of the single european currency of what is a nacent european economic recovery at the moment. and also the entire economic project which has been in play now for about 20 years here in europe. so a really big day of drama.

things fairly quiet behind me as we speak. you can smell the teargas in the air. we have had pepper spray out there. i have been down there. it was almost impossible to do work. it's a frightening, volatile situation here. >> becky, i'm curious. is this a fair fight in terms of the number of protesters versus the number of police trying to control the situation? how many on each side are we talking about here? we have been watching the crowd. it seems to be growing. we're watching fires in the streets and the video coming in. >> reporter: yeah. wouldn't say it's a fair fight. there are 200, 300 guys, mainly men in black shirts with bala vrv balavclavas on. i would say 1,000, 1,500 police. but there are thousands of other demonstrators. at one stage they got mixed up. the police are trying to keep

the regular protesters at bay and away from the violent and volatile situation in the middle of the square. is it fair? what's fair in love and war, i guess is the answer to that. there are probably more police here than protesters, but the protesters have a lot of arms, a lot of rocks. they've got weapons, chairs, plastic tables, restaurants. i have to say if you go half a mile down the road from this constitution square you will find people still having coffee outside. not all of athens is up in arms today. it's very much just this area. here it is extremely violent. >> when you look at the pictures and video and violence there that you're showing us, you have to wonder about the follow up vote due out tomorrow, right? and how that might be received. >> yep. let's think about this. already 10% of civil servants or the public sector has been cut

here. we are looking at 20% cuts in jobs in the public sector alone. the vote that happens tomorrow is about passing the bills that will allow this austerity program to actually be put in place. we have only voted on the plan today. the reason for that is they face a cash crunch at the moment. by the middle of july, really sort of run out of money. it won't be able to pay its debt. everybody down here knows that. the point is they need to implement these $40 billion worth of savage cuts in order to get money from the e.u. and the i.m.f. to even get themselves started once again. these protesters know that whatever happens today is going to get worse tomorrow for them and worse the next day until their kids, if you're a mom and dad at the moment, your kids will suffer in the years to come. not just here in greece. things are tough across europe, but it's much, much worse here. everybody on this square knows it.

>> becky anderson live in athens, greece. thank you. our sound effect today is from the epicenter of the economic issues at home. as you may have seen live on cnn president obama held a full-on news conference at the white house earlier today and debt ceiling talks with republicans were on his mind. republicans don't want tax increases to go along with spending cuts that seem to be a condition for raising the borrowing limit. the president says it's not a sustainable argument. he says reaching a balanced solution takes priority over summer vacation. >> if by the end of this week we have not seen substantial progress i think members of congress need to understand we are going to start having to cancel things and stay here until we get it done. you know, they're in one week, out one week. and then they are saying, obama's got to step in. you need to be here.

i've been here. i've been doing afghanistan and bin laden and the greek crisis. you stay here. let's get it done. >> mr. obama says nobody wants to see the united states default. so he's confident the two sides can bridge their differences. the national laboratory in los alamos won't be affected by the fire raging nearby. there was initially concern the wildfire could pose a risk to waste and toxic materials storeded at the lab. chief tucker tells cnn the waste stored in drums is kept on black top with no vegetation around and firefighters would use foam to ensure nothing gets into the environment. we'll have a live report in a couple of minutes. in massachusetts, nine people, aged 12 to 19, are

facing hate crime charges in the beating of an openly gay man. the 30-year-old man was walking down a street in springfield at 3:00 a.m. tuesday when he was attacked. the victim was said to have been knocked to the ground and punched in the face with closed fists. sergeant john delaney of the police department said there were females nearby encouraging the males involved to beat the victim up. police say the mp-3 player was stolen and was later found on one of the suspects. the push to overturn amanda knox's murder conviction may have gotten a boost from forensic specialists. according to italian media reports experts told the court that dna evidence which linked knox to the murder weapon was unsound. knox was convicted with her ex-boyfriend of killing her then roommate meredith kercher. we spoke with amanda's father. he said it's good news but not unexpected saying, quote, we now

have confirmation of what the dna defense expert said all along. an emergency hearing is set for a few hours from now in san diego to determine if prison officials can deliver anti-psychotic medications to jared lee loughner. a court filing last week argued the federal prison violated his rights by deciding to treat him with krugs against his will. the government said it was necessary because loughner is, quote, dangerous to others. loughner is accused of shooting 19 people including congresswoman gabrielle giffords at a tucson-air supermarket in january. casey anthony's dad breaks down. what brought him to tears and what he says about his suicide attempt. and casey's alleged sexual abuse. the latest from the casey anthony trial coming u. active naturals wheat formulas target and help repair damage in just 3 washes. for softer, stronger... ... hair with life. [ female announcer ] nourish plus. only from aveeno.

you want that? you want a warm, super-delicious strawberry toaster strudel yeah but now i have nothing to eat sure you do. hey! you can have the pop tart! pillsbury toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat ♪ you are my sunshine ♪ my only sunshine ♪ you makes me happy ♪ when skies are grey ♪ you'll never know, dear ♪ how much i love you ♪ please don't take my sunshine away ♪ [ male announcer ] as long as there are babies, they'll be chevy's to bring them home. ♪ morning starts with arthritis pain... that's two pills before the first bell. [ bell rings ] it's time for recess... and more pills. afternoon art starts and so does her knee pain, that's two more pills. almost done, but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve

because it can relieve pain all day with just two pills. this is lisa... who switched to aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels.

casey anthony's father george delivered what could be the most damning and emotional testimony in his daughter's trial today. the memory of little caylee bringing him to a near breaking point on the stand. >> no, sir, i need to get through this. i need to have something inside of me get through this. >> casey's dad and mom were brought back to answer blunt questions by the defense about george anthony's suicide attempt, casey's alleged sexual abuse, the rotting smell from casey's car. this is a live look inside the courtroom in orlando at this hour. i want to bring in holly hughes right now, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor who's been following the trial closely along with us. you saw george anthony breaking down. clearly so emotional. he was talking about the moment he learned about the fact that

they found his granddaughter caylee's remains. if the jury wasn't sure how they felt about george anthony by now, do you think this convinced them? how credible do you think he comes across? >> this is it. this is the homerun. this is the real, true emotion that we expect to see from someone when you lose a loved one. what's really interesting to me -- when he was talking to jose baez just like two minutes ago there is a redirect examination going on. jose baez is trying to say, but you stopped cooperating with law enforcement when the body was found. george said, sir, that was the most traumatic time in our lives. when we found out the baby was dead it was traumatic for myself, my wife and my son. he did not say "and my daughter." he left her out of it.

when he talks about being broken and emotional and devastated that this baby's remains were found in trash bags in the woods, he doesn't say casey. >> interesting. i want to talk about the alleged sexual abuse, something the defense has brought up many times. they questioned george and cindy anthony about this. cindy was questioned about casey's brother lee groping casey. she was not allowed to answer that question. here's what george said when he was asked about molesting his daughter. >> you, of course, would never admit to molesting your child, would you, sir? >> argumentative. >> overruled, you can answer the question if you can. >> sir, i would never do anything like that to my daughter. >> my question is you would never admit to it, would you, sir? >> sir, i would never do anything to harm my daughter in that way. >> the point of bringing this up, we should point out for

viewers, is that they want to show she was messed up and is well traineded to lie which is why she may have lied as a result of her daughter going missing and not helping and being honest with police. but do you think the defense is proving their case here? are they getting anywhere on this? >> no, i don't think so. i think they are butting their heads against a brick wall. george anthony has been so real, true and vulnerable on the stand today that when he testifies and says, i didn't do it, i wouldn't hurt her. here is the man -- he originally hired to help save his daughter's life and represent his daughter. this man is now attacking him. he's shown great restraint in not really losing it on him. but i think he's sincere when he says, i didn't do this. i don't think they have evidence of it and i don't think they can argue it in closing argument until and unless their client takes the stand and says it happened because nobody else can. >> this is a powerful day for

george anthony. he spoke from the stand about thinking about committing suicide. he left a note saying he wanted to be with caylee. why would the defense put this out there? isn't this just going to create more sympathy for a man who lost his granddaughter? >> what they are trying to infer -- and this is something a lot of folks don't realize. you don't have to have somebody give you the exact words on the stand as an attorney to be able to argue in your closing argument. you are allowed to argue reasonable inferences. what they want to argue, they want the jury to infer that the reason george anthony attempted suicide is because he felt so guilty about hiding caylee's body, putting his daughter through this, molesting casey. they want to argue that's why he was guilty. that's why he's trying to kill himself. prosecution's not going to let that happen. they will bring the note up in rebuttal and read every word of

it for the jury. that jury will hear the truth. it's not that he felt guilty about molesting his daughter. >> great to have you on set with us. two simple pieces of data -- your name and e-mail address -- can unlock a shocking number of details about you. up next our poppy harlow shows you information on the web available for anyone who wants to see it.

take a look at the dow. positive territory. nice to see. all this week, we are taking a look at an important issue. online security in a special segment for cnn money, michael ferdick paired with poppy harlow to expose how much of her personal information can be found online. she was shocked. >> reporter: millions of americans get their background checkeded and private information collecteded. if you're online and especially on social networking sites your privacy is at risk. yes, i am a public person. i report on television and am online, but personally i'm a private person. so i did something i have never done before. i put myself right in this story to try to find out just how much information is out there about me. >> we gave the founder of

reputation defender my name and e-mail address. his company dug around to see what they could find. >> you're a very private person. the average viewer will be much less private than you, especially in social media. even someone as private as you has been opted in such a way a system can find out deeply personal information about you. >> reporter: he's right. they pulled information about my family's health history, that my father passed away at 49 from cancer and other issues just too personal to share. . and -- >> your religion, we believe that you are episcopalian. >> reporter: right. they got my parents' name, education, marital status. but they were wrong on sally, address, phone number. and what shocked me is reputation defender came back with words associated with me saying these are things i have

reported on as a journalist, but whether the information out there is correct or incorrect it's being used to make decisions about you. >> whether they want to hire you, fire you, date you, market to you, sell to you, ensure you are not. the important lesson, the takeaway is it would be easy for a machine to make a mistake about who poppy harlow is. >> reporter: reputation defenderer did the report for us as an experiment. the company actually operates solely to protect people's information on the web. >> anything you share in any social media can and will find its way into a database and a score that's going to be the basis for life decisions about you. >> reporter: it's going to define you. >> forever. >> reporter: in the end this was much more personal than i expected. in some ways it was invasive. what it showed me is just how much personal information is out there. true and untrue. and many of us have no idea.

>> poppy joins me now from new york. boy, that would make anyone a little concerned about what's out there online about them. >> right. >> i'm sure you have done the research now. tell us what people can do to protect themselves and their identity online. i'm sure you have done it already. >> it was terrifying. i have only a work facebook, a work twitter. they found all this stuff and some of it we couldn't share because it was too private. you can do a few things but the bottom line is you have to have an online life as part of the new reality. you want to use social media. it's good for business but you have to be careful. the company is now reputation.com/free. that's going to show you a lot of what's online about you. what they have come up with that's interesting is something called you protect it.

that encrypts your posts and photos on facebook. he also told me, the man that heads the company, you have to be careful what apps you use. a lot of them are mining data that have nothing to do with the application. then they are selling data or using it for other things. be careful what apps you use. if you don't want it published on the front page of a newspaper or website, don't say it. >> don't put it out there. that's all you need to say. poppy, thank you. time now, 23 minutes past the hour. time to check on top stories we are following. riots in athens again. look at this video. thick clouds of pteargas and protesters in athens. this is live video. it's a little after 9:00 or so. about 9:20 in athens. lawmakers passed a five-year package of tax hikes and

sell-offs of government assets in hopes of securing a $17 billion bailout from their fellow euro states. president obama faced tough questions about the economy, libya and afghanistan today to previously unscheduled news conference. he spoke on raising the debt ceiling saying if capitol markets start pulling debt out and the treasury raises interest rates the economy gets worse. he said we have to get it done. >> reporter: news on a bank of america settlement stemming from the 2008 mortgage melt down. bank of america agreed to pay $8.5 billion to settle claims by a group of investors who lost money on mortgage-back eed securities purchased before the housing collapse. it could set the stage for more investors to go after banks that sold toxic assets. wildfires raging in los alamos. how close are they to the stored

radioactive waste? we'll go there live next. when an investment lacks discipline, it's never this obvious. introducing investment discipline etfs from russell. visit russelletfs.com r a prospectus, containing the investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information. read and consider it carefully before investing. carol. fiber makes me sad. oh common. and how can you talk to me about fiber while you are eating a candy bar? you enjoy that. i am. [ male announcer ] fiber beyond recognition. fiber one.

my son and i never missed opening day. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better, and that means... game on! symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. [ whistle ] with copd, i thought i might miss out on my favorite tradition. now symbicort significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. and that makes a difference in my breathing.

today i'm back with my favorite team. ask your doctor about symbicort. i got my first prescription free. call or click to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. in new mexico, the los alamos national laboratory holds thousands of barrels of radioactive material and the area was evacuated due to a wildfire. the lab has been shut down but what threat, if any, remains. reynolds wolf joins me on the telephone. where do things stand now with the radioactive material stored at the lab? lots of people asking about that. >> reporter: absolutely. understandably that will raise concern. we're talking 20,000 to 30,000 barrels of radioactive material, waste. the fires came allegedly within five miles of the site. however the director has been telling us the materials are

secure. one reason he says they are secure is they are on kind of a raised sort of like a parking lot, a platform, if you will, away from all the vegetation. so should the fires spread there isn't anything to bring the fire to the location of the radioactive waste. that's good news. they have crews on stand-by watching the material, keeping an eye on it. they have fire retardants. should flames get close by they would be put out quickly. they feel confident they will avoid potential problems with that radioactive waste. >> what are the firefighters most concerned about at this point? >> reporter: they have three major concerns. one is the topography. this is a beautiful area. three and a half big mesas and in between each you have ravines. battling the blaze on these cliffsides just is impossible. inside the ravine is another

concern. that's vegetation. what's interesting is a decade ago they had a tremendous fire and these ravines are full of incredible vegetation which would be perfect fuel. any sparks or flames get in, the fear is they would get the vegetation and threaten the town. the third thing you're concerned with is the weather forecasts. the humidity has been low while the winds ramp up in the afternoons. the wind can be kind of a conveyer belt pushing flames, sparks, moving embers and moving the fire itself. unfortunately, no sign of rain until possibly the middle of next week. >> all right. reynolds wolf watching it for us. thank you. kate middleton is on the cover of "newsweek" with -- who? we'll tell you about the controversial photograph that has some critics up in arms. soft! hard!

soft! hard! [ male announcer ] how do you decide between crunchy and soft tacos? why don't we have both? [ male announcer ] old el paso. hard and soft tacos. ♪

feed your fiesta. it's half past the hour. here's a look at the headlines and stories you may have missed. judges for the 6th circuit court of appeals have ruled that the mandate that all individuals have health care under the new health reform law is, quote, a valid exercise of congress's authority under the commerce clause. this is the first time a federal appeals court ruled on the constitutionality of the health law. it came as a result of a lawsuit from the thomas moore law center. live pictures now here from athens, greece. protesters not happy with lawmakers' decision to approve a package of austerity measures today. they are certainly not afraid to show the disapproval. riot police are using teargas to keep the crowd away from parliament and sent dozens to

the hospital. today's vote clears the way to allow voting. president obama held a news conference at the white house today using much of the time to address the economy and deficit. he stressed the importance of creating jobs and used ethe u.s trade deal as one potential solution. he said any agreement on raising the debt ceiling will include, quote, tough decisions and balanced solutions but said it must be done. he went so far as to say lawmakers should cancel their vacations if they can't reach a deal. >> reporter: if the casey anthony trial things got heated when defense attorney jose baez questioned george anthony about comments made to law enforcement. as you see here, george anthony accused the defense of spinning his at the same times. the defense questioneded him about his 2009 suicide attempt

suggesting he left a note that expressed guilt. have you seen this? take a good look. "ani "newsweek" magazine dedicating their cover to the late princess diana's 50th birthday. they are drawing criticism for the computer-generated photograph of the late princess walking next to kate middleton. newsweek mocked up the photo in an effort to show what princess diana would have looked like today. some critics call it disrespectful. just ahead on globe trekking, what's life like for u.s. troops at one afghanistan outpost. just watch this. >> fire! >> come on. hustle up. >> we'll show you what they go through as the taliban fighting season heats up. !e!e!e!e!e!e!e!e

on today's globe trekking we start in of afghanistan. taliban militants killed at least nine people in the attack on kabul overnight. all nine militants were killed as well. two police officers are among the dead. a spanish news agency is also reporting that a 48-year-old spanish pilot died in the attack. as many as three of the attackers were shot before they were able to detonate their explosives. elsewhere in afghanistan the fighting season with the taliban has been heating up. nick walsh is embedded with u.s. troops and reports on life in a military outpost that's actually in taliban territory. >> reporter: everywhere you look here on afghanistan's eastern border the choices aren't good. this outpost is caught between hills full of taliban. if the americans leave militants

from pakistan will flow through the valley. if they stay then every few days this happens. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: mortars hit the base. the last attack was long enough ago there is panic. they are worried the taliban have been preparing a big one. after days of nothing the insurgents finally amassed around the compound and they are being attacked from all sides. >> come on, hustle up. grab it, get ready. >> reporter: first they use mortars but the incoming fire is very accurate here. >> fire! >> go, go, go! >> reporter: they arrange cover from heavy machine guns. >> oh! >> reporter: but the bullets are too close. >> never mind! >> reporter: locals scatter.

just before huge american firepower has the last word. >> oh! [ explosion ] >> whoo hoo! >> reporter: four massive air strikes across the hills and then the taliban fall silent. >> say hi to osama for me. >> reporter: americans knew why it came here but isn't hour why it's staying. >> can we get a phone call? >> cigarette butts. >> reporter: ten minutes later jets swoop in to hit the hills. a show of force but the taliban are either gone or dead. at least five killed by the soldiers count. the next morning it starts again. mortars and rocket-filled grenades pound the base.

much heavier this time. it appears they have taken casualties. more air strikes. this valley is vital strategically but doesn't want to be conquered. the medics fly in to collect one soldier. his injuries are not life-threatening. there is no real victory to be had here though. just the question of how long they will stay growing louder. nick walsh, cnn, afghanistan. >> in egypt there was a little déjà vu as anti-government protests raged into tahrir square. they began late tuesday as a memorial for those killed in the revolution earlier this year, but it quickly turned into an angry protest against the interim military government. troops poured into the streets taking over from police. hundreds of people were treated at the scene and dozens taken to the hospital. many egyptians are angry about the slow pace of change since president hosni mubarak resigned

in februy. finally in paris, a few unusual tourists have arriveded. take a look. these dinosaurs are in town and will be on display for most of the summer before being auctioned off at sotheby's. the fossils are rare enough and even include a dinosaur mummy. the chance to buy something like this is even more rare. the most expensive of the fossils could go for as much as $2 million. imagine putting that on display in your living room at home. having an affair isn't the only kind of cheating that can ruin a marriage. up next, how to catch your spouse lying about money. you'll be shocked to hear how many are doing that. hey!

you want that? you want a warm, super-delicious strawberry toaster strudel yeah but now i have nothing to eat sure you do. hey! you can have the pop tart! pillsbury toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat whose long day starts with arthritis pain... and a choice. take tylenol arthritis

and maybe up to six in a day... or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain. happy chopping.

personal pricing now on brakes. tell us what you want to pay. we do our best to make that work. deal! my money. my choice. my meineke. having an affair isn't the only kind of cheating that can ruin a marriage. whether it's hiding the extra money you earn, keeping a secret bank account or hiding purchases from your spouse, what's been called financial infidelity can take a harsh toll on a marriage. in fact, according to a national endowment for education survey 16% of respondents said their financial infidelity eventually resulted in divorce. don't tell my husband that these are new earrings. i hope he's not watching today. jessica dickler joins me from new york. i'm guilty.

i keep purchases in the trunk of the car, wait for my husband to go out and bring them quietly inside. how many people like me are financially cheating on their spouses? >> according to the research from the national endowment of financial education, 31% of people share opinionsfinances w partner say i they have been deceptive about money. some flat out lie about income or debt. nearly even on the street had a story about spending money on the sly. it's even more common than data shows. one woman admitted to buying a pony for her daughter and not telling her husband. >> how do you hide a pony? >> i know. she had a separate account, put it on her credit card and never told her husband. she wanted to stay anonymous. some of the men were more forthcoming. >> what are some of the big lies? is that the big one? >> yeah. people lie about little

purchases, hiding -- stash money on the sly. some people lie about having debt or opening up a new line of credit, that kind of thing. >> so these are things certainly to look out for. even if you are doing gardening and you find receipts in the backyard, that's not good. probably means financial infi l infidelity at your house. >> yeah. one of the most common things people say is, oh, i have had this for ages when they have on a new shirt or blouse. one woman would stash purchases for a while so when she wore something new she could say, this isn't new. it wasn't technically a lie. >> yeah. they never know. they ask, but you just say, yeah, i have had it forever. no. i have never done that. have you ever done anything like this? do you find more women than men are doing it? >> it seems like more women than men do this. i have to admit i have rounded down. >> meaning? >> something costs $130 and you

say it costs $100. >> or got it on sale? yeah. that's a sale. tell me, what people can do to get on the same page? what can couples do financially-speaking to get on the same page? >> most experts suggest an open relationship. where you want to go on vacation. starting a family or retirement. that helps people get on the same page in terms of where they are in spending and saving. also throughout the relationship getting regular credit cards can help couples see where they are in terms of how much money they have on hand and how much debt they have. very good advice. thank you. while democrats, republicans and the president are fighting over raising the debt ceiling some are asking is it unconstitutional? we'll ask next. s s s s ]

♪ [ cat meows ] ♪ [ whistle ] ♪ [ cat meows ] ♪ [ ting! ] [ male announcer ] travelers can help you protect the things you care about and save money with multi-policy discounts. are you getting the coverage you need and the discounts you deserve? for an agent or quote, call 800-my-coverage or visit travelers.com. toi switched to a complete0, multivitamin with more. only one a day women's 50+ advantage has ginkgo for memory and concentration, plus support for bone and breast health. a great addition to my routine. [ female announcer ] one a day women's. time to deploy the chex mix boring potato chip decoy bag. now no one will want to steal the deliciousness.

with a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix is a bag of interesting.

president obama called on lawmakers today to do their job in order to strike a deal on raising the federal government's current debt ceiling by the start of august. however, democratic senators are growing increasingly pessimistic

about the prospects for a deal and are revisiting a solution to the crisis that rests on this simple proposition. the debt ceiling itself is unconstitutional. if this is, indeed, true, congress would not have the power to cause a default on the national debt or even put a cap on expenditures that they authorize. the question for the team today is defaulting on the national debt unconstitutional? on the team with us today the founder of the memphis tea party. jonathan turley professor at george washington university and a former reporter with the washington post, garrett. i will start with you. is the debt limit unconstitutional? >> well, in constitutional law they are rarely yes or no answers. i will say that section four of the 14th amendment clearly commands that the validity of the public debt of the united states shall not be questioned.

and the supreme court in the only case where it looked at this interpreted it to mean that congress really doesn't have the power to change repayment or change the way in which repayment of the debt takes place. the debt is a sacred pledge of the entire country and congress doesn't have control over it. >> jonathan -- i'm sorry, you can finish. >> go ahead, go ahead. >> does the constitution forbid default? >> it's hard to say. this has not been something that's been litigated in the past. the language of the 14th amendment is extremely general. it refers to the validity of public debt not being, quote, questioned. what i think the republican members can argue is that they are not questioning the debt or its validity. this is a disagreement of how and when the debt will be paid, priority give ton the debt. i think a court will find the argument more compelling.

but just looking at other cases they have handled i have to say that the language is absolute. on its face it certainly suggests that these debts must be paid. i think a court would have something of sticker shock in adopting this argument. it would mean that if it's unconstitutional congress could be carved out of very important debt decisions in the future. >> what about -- i'm curious, mark. the republican strategy behind hinting at letting the debt default. what do you make of it? >> first of all, they are not suggesting default. as long as you pay interest and you know we have $300 billion of current rierms of interest payment. that's to be paid out of current receipts, that are about $2.8 trillion a year. both garrett and jonathan suggested the 14th amendment, article 4. but there is a key clause that

even democratic senators are talking about which is authorized by law. the congress in article one has the authorization to essentially establish what moneys can be disbedi dispursed from the treasury. i believe the argument is a stretch. the republicans, indeed, are suggesting that the debt ceiling not be raised which has been authorized by law, a debt ceiling agreed by both houses and signed into law. therefore, they are saying, look, we'll pay our bills just as you have a credit card thing, you pay your bill and you're not in default though you reach the limit. this is a stretch in the argument. >> i'm curious. don't you believe that the president, if this was going to be unconstitutional, wouldn't he have known that? >> i don't know what the president knows and what he doesn't know. he's keeping his arms close to the vest. i will say in response to something mark said, the validity of the public debt authorized by law doesn't really have any -- do any work in this

situation because the debts of the united states that we are talking about are authorized by law. they have already been authorized by acts of congress. so there is no way to loop that language and make it mean something it doesn't mean. i would also say that the argument about the debt ceiling is that once congress appropriates money, appropriates -- approves debt instruments or appropriates money, its function under the constitution is done. it can't -- this is the argument. it then can't pass a second statute saying, oh, but don't really pay that. we weren't serious. so that is the argument for suggesting the debt limit which, as you know, is not in the constitution. it is simply a statute. that's the argument for suggesting that it is unconstitutional. >> all right. >> to john, i think it's worth thinking about whether this case

woul ever get to course. -- court. i think that's a question we might contemplate. i'm not sure how it would. >> thank you very much. it's an interesting discussion. we appreciate it. appreciate your time. it's time now for a cnn political update. cnn political correspondent jim accosta joins me from washington. what's on the ticker now? >> there is a lot of talk about the president and his news conference this morning. you were talking about it there with your panel on the debt ceiling and debt talk. it sounds like, if you listen to what the president is saying, at least in political terms he's not running against the republican field now. he's running against congress basically saying they are going to have to abide by his demand that taxes be raised in some way on the wealthy in order to have agreement on the debt talks.

he compared congress to his daughters saying they can finish their homework on time. he asked, why can't congress? >> if you are a wealthy ceo or hedge fund manager in america now, your taxes are lower than they have ever been. they're lower than they have been since the 1950s. and you can afford it. you'll still be able to ride on your corporate jet. you just have to pay a little more. >> and the president did get some other good political news for the white house today. in the court battle over his health care law there is an appellate court ruling that came down in cincinnati this afternoon essentially saying that the health care mandate, the individual mandate in the health care law that requires all americans to obtain health insurance is constitutional.

there have been a variety of rulings in different federal courts on this. there will be others along the way as the battle heads toward the supreme court. this has obviously been a big issue on the cam tan trail. all of the republicans running now say they would repeal the health care law if elected president. so just one of many shots that are going to be fired in the health care battle as it winds its way to the supreme court. >> all right, jim. thank you. we'll be right back. [ nurse ] i'm a hospice nurse. britta olsen is my patient.

i spend long hours with her checking her heart rate, administering her medication, and just making her comfortable. one night britta told me about a tradition in denmark, "when a person dies," she said, "someone must open the window so the soul can depart." i smiled and squeezed her hand. "not tonight, britta. not tonight." ♪ carol. fiber makes me sad. oh common. and how can you talk to me about fiber while you are eating a candy bar? you enjoy that. i am. [ male announcer ] fiber beyond recognition. fiber one.

[ male an♪ ncer ] fiber beyond recognition. ♪ ♪ ♪ introducing purina one beyond a new food for your cat or dog.

in athens greece, the protesters are gathering again. we have been talking to richard quest and becky anderson both there watching this for us. there are several hundred or so from what we are getting from people on the ground. several hundred protesters clashing with police over austerity measures and the package that's just passed today. people are concerned about what this will mean for them. there will be a second vote. violence does continue on the streets of greece. emotions are running high. an important fda hearing today. a vote came down on